Grandma O'Quilts is so Very Grateful

 Me thinks that my arthritis is getting worse and my physical health is declining..

Today, I was so cheered by friends.  Linda and Sherry orgainized my space, found my lost objects, fixed the so far unfixable, made me laugh and spoke quilting speak with me..They helped me choose joy today.  I am forever grateful.

Below is my latest experiment in rope composition...a trivet.  My in-house quilting group wants me to teach a rope bowl class.  I am starting to make some examples....

The in-house quilting group is doing a donation of flannel burp cloths to the local shelter..

That day, I sat by the trash can...Each time a member came with fabric to discard...I intervened....What are you throwing away????

Taking the usable scraps, I made this jelly roll quilt for a donation...  Fun and funky.  I cannot wait to share in the next meeting this example of what a person can do with scraps.

Unfortunately my ego got in the way while quilting this quilt.  My Janome Little Red does not have the functions that my Janome 8900 has.. Without putting the pressure foot down all the way, I was able to get a lovely wiggle stitch.  So proud of self, until I was told that without the pressure foot being all the way donw, the quilting would not take; all the stitches were too loose to stay...Just UGH..

Finally, stubborn me let Sherry remove said stitches...and I redid it tonight on my bigger machine.  Almost finished, this cuddle quilt is soft and funky and cuddly.

A tiny nap after my friends left, then out on my patio reading Anne Lamott's latest book.

It was warm and breezy outside.  The book was comforting and I felt a glow of friendship which sustained me.

Gratitude and joy...peace and comfort...Lucky , lucky me.

A nice chat with my late night friend was all I needed to end my day in peace.

It is a Generational Thing

Happy Fathers Day...As I am so grateful for the fathers who raise other peoples children with love.

Here is my oldest grandson, Evan...He will be 19 in 12 days.  He dropped out of high school at 16; He learned a trade in construction from his step-father; He has accumulated in his savings...money....Last year, he bought himself a tiny house and plugged it into the back yard for his own independence and freedom..  A few days ago, he bought himself...with his own earnings, his first car....

Sooo very proud of Evan.

Dear Aunt Carl....of Greenville Alabama...my daddy's sister.  You live forever with me.  Even though  you died 10  years ago, I will never forget the rootiing you gave me from a jar in your window....a Gardenia rooting....Thirty years later, this one little rooting has provided huge trees in our back yard...10 ft by 10 ft, the original one....It also has  provided numerous gifts to friends....As you told me, use distilled water as now-a-days...water has so many unfriendly chemicals.

This is my last rooting...At four ft tall, it stands in a pot on my patio....

I will always remember you with love. xo

A lovely day today.  Starting with an energetic and relaxing  swim in our awesome pool, lunch here with a friend, reading on the patio, Anne Lamont's newest book..

Now finishing up some sewing....eg another bag for the card club to hold 4 decks of cards for "Hand and Foot"

Basting a scrap quilt for the homeless center,  arranging things in my sewing room so I will not fall...sigh...

The only  thing crazy and irritating is Bloglovin....I have been blogging there for years...maybe 14 years.  Now when I try to access the blogs I have been following I am supposed to sign in and get a  password....

I am not going to do that...

I do not feel like I have options as I have no left brain and am computer weak..

I still like blogging and following my friends...do not feel like giving it up yet....

Sigh

Sigh....still, it was a good day  

 

Gratitude

 A lovely quilty day today.   Grateful today for honest friends who are free to share their angst as well as their joy.

Sharing quilty  things with quilty people...there is nothing better!!

Cassandra from https://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/ has this chicken pattern...It is a bit task heavy as there is tracing and ironing and cutting and stitching; however, I think it is quite cute.  I found these tonight only because my Lynsey straightened my apartment before she went home..

My family in Portland is excited to be getting chickens...I think Portland allows 4 or  5 chickens...We will see.

Stay tuned....

Tonight while Podcasting, I sewed together half of these blocks...Still think they are a bit busy...but I am carrying on..

I am so invigorated by friendships and quilty talks....Thank you Kathy for sharing your thoughts on sleep deprivation

In  July. I will have a sleep study...as well as more skin cancer removal...That's OK...If sleep will help, I can find hope again.

Missing Marie and Sherry as they travel...Grateful for friends,,playing,cards, my awesome apartment...;My dear granddaughter and all her skills, and hugs from  my smart and kind DIL

 Lynsey spent 3 days with me...working on finals for her home schooling...Then she will be a 10th grader...Wow...

On a podcast tonight, I heard"  Get out of your head and into your hands..".

Makers are so much more relaxed!!!

Truth!

Looking for the Light

Yesterday at 
CMQG, I had the pleasure of being surrounded by amazing talent.

Due to the sharing and chatting and laughing and sewing, I managed to finish piecing all these blocks

Just adjusting the value and I will whip them together... It is close to the time I will be chatting  with my great longarmer, Mary Jerz.

My Lynsey is visiting....It was to be one night, but she needs to finish a million home schooling lessons in a few weeks in order to graduate to the next level...10th grade.  So much stress for her...probably quieter for her to study with her grandma.

and of course, laugh and gossip and share and help Grandma...

She is a lovely girl...lucky me..

Meantime, on the other side of the country, my family is vacationing in the  Redwoods and at a beach in Oregon.

Below:  Secret Beach

Amazing fun.

Now I am thinking twice about my Marcia Derse quilt.  It looks so busy.  So I will  not mess with the balance any more.  I will just stitch it together with a small plain border to set it and send it off...Things are usually better once I get away from them for awhile....Finishes make a difference,  with quilting and binding and distance.

I am also feeling my age, so want to use some of all my collections....sigh...Maybe Kaffe next or Denyse Schmidt

Or finish one of my many UFOs.

Well, that light I am looking for is bed, I think...Tomorrow another nice day: In house quilting group, dinner with friends and Lynsey,

Sewing and fabric touching...

PS  Is June a good time for a New Year's resolution????

I am out of control with chocolate and fabric sales...OMG

I need nothing..but fabric calls...even from India..

 

Grandma O'Quilts is So Joyful

 OMG  Joy is a new set of IKEA shelves in my bedroom.  More joy is my friend Sherry to assemble them.

Old bureaus from my growing up years...My mother's bedroom 65 years ago..rickety but still usable.

I need so much  help moving things around.  Using my walker due to pains in my adductor  muscles and in my feet.  Age is so upon me.

So hard to transfer fabric and baskets from one place to another.

I am so overwhelmed with fabrics and fabric bits and pieces and scraps...yet every little bit is precious.

I just cannot let go....

Indeed, I have ordered a trailer hitch for the hearse...

Going to the Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild Sit and Sew tomorrow.

And, Sunday, Lynsey is coming around to visit and help.

Joy all around.

Lucky Grandma O'Quilts!!

Outdated Grandma O'Quilts

First up....Aoife and Rosie on their way to California from Oregon to camp at the Redwood National Park.

Grandma's zippy coin purses done 

Card pouches...I am playing "Hand and Foot" with the other old ladies here...It is so disorganized...Voila, I have made laminate pouches and added 4 new card decks each, to donate...Trying to keep things together....Trying anyway.

Tonight was Dylan's 8th grade graduation....I cannot believe high school will be next.  All  summer he will be working with his step father and older brother learning the family construction business.

Dylan and his mother.. Wow...Look who got taller!!!

Outdated Grandma did not quilte anticipated this look for a graduation ceremony...Still, the family went, and I saw it on U-tube.

Dearest Sherry took me on a fun outing today to IKEA.  I bought two new bookshelves for my fabric..Can you bellieve in less than two  hours, she had them taken from the  car, assembled and attached to the wall...How can I be so very lucky to have a friend like Sherry!!!!

Tomorrow she promised to come for lunch and attach the second bookcase.  I need a lot of organizational help.

Tomorrow, PT, lunch, cards and more.

Today, I consider myself to be one blessed grandma.

Muldoon family reunion in Kinvara, Ireland...Brendan stayed in Tampa...My dear man would have loved this.

My Fintan is too soon gone, but never forgotten.

Sunday and Such

Joe is one of the chefs here...He makes me Cuban sandwiches even when they are not on the menu.  He is sooo nice

So...voila...a potholder made just for him...Will deliver it tomorrow!!

The back of Joe's potholder:

A zippy purse...I have not made one of these in years...

Patriotic ones.

This tutorial is thanks to :https://emptynesters3.blogspot.com/2012/08/coin-purse-tutorial.html

Picture of Aoife and her daddy a few days ago.  Unfortunately the girl is sick...again...pre-school stuff.

Aoife will be 4 in 7 weeks...OMG!!

All my grandchildren have slept under this "Brown Bear" quilt.

I seem to have anxiety about my son's absence from our  lives...Some days it overwhelms me.

Today I dealt with it by a great exercise in our stunning pool, eating lunch with new friends and sewing!!!

I am thrilled to be back making something other than potholders.  I always put a shiny penny in these zippy coin purses...for good luck.

Will finish a few more tomorrow.

A present from Sherry!!  I love having one of her mug savers...

Experiment gone poorly, but OK .I am so glad I did this tonight.  I am supposed to give a small presentation on making rope bowls...Tonight, somehow, the rope curved up without my help.  I was making a trivet, but ended up with a little 4.5 inch rope bowl...Oh, well..It is a bit  crude, still usable. I have to U-tube it to see what went wrong.

Another lovely day in Charlotte to sit outside and read...Reading another of Hazel Gaynor's historical novels.   This one is about the internment of American and British children during WW2....As Japan declared war on 
China too.. My school history  has been mostly about the European side of that war....How did I not know these things till  now???

Tuesday I am going to Mohs surgery for some skin cancer on my face....The result of living in Miami 20 years and being raised in Phoenix, Arizona!!  Grateful to have a good book to read while I wait on results.

Thank God for a sister to take me.